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The director of the European branch of the World Health Organization, Hans Kluge, was more pessimistic on Friday about the ability of the high vaccination rate to single-handedly stop the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic , due to the emergence of mutagens that reduce the possibility of the formation of group immunity.
With the possibility that the disease will remain endemic in the long term without being able to eradicate it, Kluge called during a press conference to “proactively adapt our strategies on vaccination”, in particular on the issue of booster doses.
In May, the UN health official confirmed that “the epidemic will end when we vaccinate at least 70%” of the world’s population.
When asked if this target was still valid or should be lifted, Kluge said the new, highly infectious mutants, especially the delta mutant, had altered the data.
He explained that when he made this statement months ago, “no more transmissible mutants had emerged,” although the delta mutant, first detected in India, was widespread at that time.
“So I think this brings us to the point that the primary goal of vaccination is first and foremost to prevent severe forms of illness and death,” Kluge said.
He added: “If we consider that Covid will continue to mutate and stay with us, like a common cold, then we have to be proactive in how we adapt our vaccination strategy to the chronic transmission of the infection and achieve knowledge very precise of the effect of additional doses. “
According to epidemiologists, it seems that the formation of group immunity through vaccines alone has become a distant prospect, but vaccination remains essential to contain the outbreak of the epidemic.
Kluge stressed on Friday that achieving a very high level of vaccination is still very essential, “to relieve the pressure on our health systems, which are in urgent need of treating other diseases other than Covid”.
The Corona virus has killed at least 4,602,565 people worldwide since the World Health Organization’s office in China reported the disease was emerging in late December 2019.
At least 223,069,340 people have been confirmed to be infected with the virus since its onset. The vast majority of those infected have recovered, although some continued to show symptoms weeks or even months later.
The figures are based on daily reports published by the health authorities in each country and exclude subsequent reviews by statistical agencies which indicate a much higher number of deaths.
The World Health Organization, given the excess mortality directly or indirectly linked to Covid-19, considers that the outcome of the epidemic could be two or three times greater than the officially announced outcome.
Much of the less severe or asymptomatic cases go undetected despite the intensification of examinations in a large number of countries.
The United States is the most affected country in terms of deaths and injuries, followed by Brazil, India, Mexico and Peru.
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